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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
― Augustine of Hippo

Our Trip to Vancouver!

Saturday, September 19, 2015

As soon as we landed in Vancouver we headed to Stanley Park. I had read so much about all the wonderful things to see and do there. It did not disappoint!We walked around for hours and still did not get to see everything. We started off walking along the seawall and just taking in the scenery. It was so beautiful! Then we decided to go deeper into the park and explore the forest trails. Did I mention we didn't have a map? We had no clue where we were going, but that's what made it so fun!
There were several beautiful gardens, my favorite being the Shakespeare Garden. Many of the trees had plaques with Shakespeare quotes and we enjoyed reading them all as we explored. After walking for about 2 hours we we came upon a nice little restaurant, The Stanley Park Pavilion. The food was sooo good!

After our much needed break we started walking again. This time we grabbed a map and headed over to the Lost Lagoon. As soon as we reached the edge of the Lagoon you could see an amazing view of the city. I had waited so long to be here and I just took a few minutes to soak it all in.

As we continued on our way we were amazed with all the wildlife. I spotted several different birds including swans, geese and several families of ducks. Those ducklings were SO CUTE swimming along after their mother. We came across beavers building a dam. I must say, it amazed me. I'd never seen a beaver before and they were hard at work!

Just before heading back to the hotel we stopped at Vancouver Lookout where we enjoyed a 360 degree aerial view of Vancouver. There were many plaques located throughout the panoramic observation deck, giving insight to the history, infrastructure, local trends and many different cultures of the city.

The next day we went to Grouse Mountain to zip line! We rode the SkyRide up the mountain (and up and up and up!). We did the 5-Line Tour and had a blast! There's nothing quite like zipping across mountains and canyons at around 50 mph! The last two zips are at the very top of the mountains. We had to hop on the chair lift to reach the top. It was nice to take a min to relax and enjoy the amazing view. When we were all done zipping we headed to the cafe for some lunch and ate outdoors on the patio overlooking the lower mainland.

We couldn't leave without visiting the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was one of the things on my "must do" list. The Suspension Bridge has an interesting history that you can read about here . The first thing I did was race over to that bridge and start across it! The bridge is 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River. I felt like the Queen of the world standing up there! Next we did the Treetops Adventure that gives you a "squirrels eye view" of the forest. It has a series of 7 suspension bridges taking you 110 feet above the forest floor. I felt like Tarzan cruising through the treetops. The newest addition to the park is the Cliffwalk which takes you on suspended walkways that jut out from the mountain side. It is very high, narrow and in some places the walkway is GLASS. So of course we had to do it! It was such a fun and unique experience and I would love to do it again some day!

WELCOME TO STORYBROOKE

We are huge fans of the show Once Upon a Time and have waited SO LONG to visit the real Storybrooke aka Steveston, B.C. This was the highlight of the trip. I finally got to cross off the #1 thing on my bucket list- visit Granny's Diner. And not only visit, but grab some lunch inside! Granny's Diner is actually The Cannery Cafe when the show is not filming. I was fangirling SO HARD.I stopped in to the Steveston Post Office and Visitor's Center and was given this handy guide to everything Once related in town! After buying alot of OUaT related merchandise we started our Once adventure! We visited every place on Moncton Street. It was so incredible to be in the world of of my favorite show. I kept pointing out all the little places I remembered from the show. "Maleficent met her daughter RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT" Lol! Some of my favorites were Gold's Pawn Shop, Storybrooke Library, Any Given Sundae and of course Granny's Diner.

Our hotel was right next to the Cannery and from our room we could see right down Moncton street, where all the magic happens. I was in heaven! All the Once stuff aside. Steveston is such a gorgeous little coastal village. It's the kind of place I could see myself staying for a while. Everyone is so friendly, the food is great, and every where you look has a beautiful view. It was so nice to relax and take a stroll down the docks after a busy day of sightseeing.

There were many things we didn't get a chance to do but we had an amazing time! Can't wait to visit Vancouver again!